1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that is accessible to a plurality of users through ports.
2. Description of the Related Art
Described in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. H-219022 is an image forming apparatus in which operating conditions that are individually set for a plurality of ports are stored, and input data is printed under designated port conditions. This image forming apparatus has a plurality of physical ports for print data reception, and is constructed so that it can be shared by a plurality of external data processors. Each port of this apparatus has a memory for storing preset operation setting values. Preset operation setting values corresponding to the ports through which print data is received are read from the memories in response to the reception of print data. A printing operation is carried out with its contents determined by the read preset operation setting values. According to this technique, operation setting corresponding to each port is automatically performed in response to reception of print data. Therefore, operation setting for each print is unnecessary under the same conditions, so that facility is improved, and misprints that are attributable to wrong operation setting can be prevented. The ports are individual ports that are based on a physical interface. In some cases, therefore, only one terminal unit can be connected to the apparatus, depending on the interface shape.
With the progress in networks, the relation between the image forming apparatus and a terminal unit, such as a computer unit, has recently changed from a peer-to-peer system to a server/client system. Thus, a number of terminal units can be connected to one image forming apparatus. This implies that one user has a plurality of terminal units for the image forming apparatus. If a user has a plurality of terminal units in this manner, set print data, such as the image quality data on the image forming apparatus, scaling, etc., are saved on each terminal unit side, so that the print data must be set for each terminal unit. Further, the spread of color image forming apparatuses has made the image quality data highly detailed and complicated. Therefore, it is hard to reproduce with other terminal units the image quality data obtained by trial and error with use of a certain terminal unit. PDAs, portable telephones, etc., cannot cope with complicated settings, due to their operation. Under the circumstances for these units, therefore, a lot of users print defaults.
The image forming apparatus starts printing immediately after a print file is transmitted through a reception port. This is done because other print files inevitably accumulate unless the image forming apparatus immediately runs the received print file, since the route along which the reception port, a reception buffer, and a printing engine are arranged is one-way.